Echinorhinus

Echinorhinus is the only extant genus in the family Echinorhinidae.

Echinorhinus
Temporal range: 84โ€“0 Ma[1] Campanian to present
Bramble shark, Echinorhinus brucus
Echinorhinus brucus, mounted specimen, on display at the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Squaliformes
Family: Echinorhinidae
T. N. Gill, 1862
Genus: Echinorhinus
Blainville, 1816
The distribution of the two Echinorhinus species

Taxonomy

Echinorhinidae are traditionally classified in the order Squaliformes, together with kitefin and gulper sharks.[2] Most phylogenetic studies based on molecular data imply that this is incorrect, however, and that they are in fact more closely related to angel sharks and sawsharks.[3] The phylogenetic placement of Echinorhinidae has remained ambiguous in both morphological and molecular studies, either being included within Squaliformes, considered sister to Squaliformes, or placed in a separate group with Sawsharks (Pristiophoriformes) or angel sharks (Squatiniformes). For this reason they are sometimes given their own order, Echinorhiniformes.

Etymology

The name is from Greek echinos meaning "spiny" and rhinos meaning "nose".

Species

Description

This genus includes two extant species of uncommon, little-known sharks. Both species are relatively large sharks, at 3.1 to 4.0 m (10.2 to 13.1 ft) in body length. They are characterized by a short nose and by rough, thorn-like dermal denticles scattered over its body, some of which may be fused together. They have no anal fin. Two small spineless dorsal fins are positioned far back.

Biology

They are ovoviviparous, with the mother retaining the egg-cases inside her body until they hatch, producing litters up to 24 pups.[4] They feed on smaller sharks, smaller bony fish, and on crabs and cephalopods.

Distribution

These sharks are found worldwide in cold temperate to tropical seas from the surface down to 900 m (3,000 ft).[4]

See also

References
  1. Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  2. Compagno, 2005. "Sharks of the World". ISBN 9780691120720
  3. Straube, Nicolas; Li, Chenhong; Claes, Julien M.; Corrigan, Shannon; Naylor, Gavin J. P. (2015). "Molecular phylogeny of Squaliformes and first occurrence of bioluminescence in sharks". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 15 (1): 162. doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0446-6. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 4537554. PMID 26277575.
  4. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2009). "Echinorhinidae" in FishBase. January 2009 version.
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